"Hyper" - Out of Control Behavior

Whether or not your dog deserves to be labeled
as “hyper” depends partially on what your expectations
for his behavior are. If you want, or were expecting the
activity level of a Basset hound, and instead your dog
has the energy of a Dalmatian, you may conclude your dog
is “hyper”, even though her behavior is pretty
typical for her breed and age.

A research study comparing owners who had surrendered
their dogs to shelters with those who had not found that
the former reported their dogs were more work than expected.
So concluding a dog is “hyper” is to some degree
quite subjective.

Many dogs need more exercise, playtime, social time and
mental stimulation than they get. If your young sporting
breed dog is crated all day while you are at work, and
then wants to play play play when you are home in the evenings
this should not be surprising.

There are dogs however, whose activity level could be
considered “abnormal” for their lifestyle,
age, sex and breed. Often, when dogs get labeled as “hyper” it’s
not so much that they are too active, but rather
overly REactive. Such
dogs react with a “10” energy level to a “1” event.
For example you say “Good dog”, and your dog
becomes so excited she’s bouncing off the walls.
At the same time, it may also be difficult for her to calm
down once she is excited. Combined with what seems to be
endless energy, no matter how long of a walk or run they
get, or how long you play fetch with them, “hyper” dogs
just want more.

Dogs with high reactivity, long recovery times, and lots
of energy require very calm, very consistent training techniques.
Physical corrections and/or loud verbal reprimands tend
to excite them even more. To successfully manage a behavioral “hyper” dog
you need to know how to use techniques other than punishment, “discipline” or
scolding. Eliciting and rewarding quiet calm behaviors
is the key.

Rarely, dogs can have a medical condition known as hyperkinesis.
This is “hyperactive” behavior due to neurochemical
imbalances. Only your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist
can diagnosis this condition by monitoring your dog’s
reaction to a stimulant. The condition is truly quite rare.
We’ve seen only 4 or 5 hyperkinetic dogs in over
25 years of working with pets. The proper medication, prescribed
by a veterinarian, along with behavior modification, can
successfully manage this condition.

If your dog is just highly active and exuberant, meeting
her behavioral needs and providing the right kind of training
may be sufficient to resolve things. Review the product
descriptions below that will help you.

PRODUCTS FROM HELPING FIDO THAT
WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND, PREVENT AND RESOLVE BEHAVIORAL “HYPERACTIVITY” PROBLEMS

Dogs that are active and reactive are more difficult
to train than other dogs. If you want to be successful
in your training, you need a more thorough understanding
of how your Fido learns and of training techniques than
the average dog owner. Our 4 CD audio program “How
Fido Learns Best”, teaches you what even some
trainers don’t know. Your dog will be part of your
family for many years, and you will always need to be updating
his training, so you’ll get years of value from this
program. Any trainer you choose to help you should know
the information contained in this program. So even if you
decide to hire a trainer, this program will help you evaluate
that person.

“Hyper” dogs benefit from lots of feedback
about their behavior and being rewarded immediately when
they are calm and in control. If you start “clicking
and treating” your dog for these behaviors, you will
be amazed at how quickly the behaviors you like occur more
often. To get started right away, get our Clicker
Training For Dogs Kit.

If part of your dog’s “hyper-ness” or
out of control behavior occurs when guests arrive, our “Managing
Chaos at the Door” audio CD is just what you
need. This program gives you over 10 strategies to easily
train your dog to sit quietly or engage in behaviors you
like rather than annoying your guests.

Sometimes the simplest tools are the most effective.
You’ll be amazed at how much information we’ve
packed into two little booklets “76
Ways to Get Your Dog To Do What You Want” and “What
Dogs Need and How They Think”. Written
from Fido’s
point of view if you followed all the tips in these booklets,
you’d have the best behaved dog on the planet! “Hyper” dogs
have short attention spans, and these booklets are particularly
suited to that need – doling out information in digestible
tidbits for you to apply.